The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1887-05-05

and the penalty Is severe Sometimes one
Of these mothers repents and seeks her babe
If II is not dead It q returned to her. If ii
tons to by sone OF wG Wba
plies for boy or girl and gives good refer
ences The two institutions are the Protestant
Home for the Friendless and the Roman
Catholic Institution of Mercy.
The New York Founding Asylum is
worid,famous as the happiest and most ad-
mirable haven that ever q homeless baby
found its way to. 1t is so famous that babies
have been brought to It from every State in
the Union, and even from Europe. People
believe that once q baby is taken in there
ing that Of q mother in command OF limit
less means, experience and love. How true
that is, l don't know, but certainly never
saw happier, healthier. cleaner or brighter
little ones in my life than ! found there
when ! called unheralded and was shown
Between the inner and the outer front
door of this place of charity is an ordinary
wicker basket or crib, swinging between two
uprights and curtained with pink and white
muslin. Ordinary it is, but only. in appear
tor it is hardly whether any
of microscopic humanity as this. The babies
that have been left in it by desperate mothers
would populate what would be called acity
i'll the far West There must have been
1900 to 1900 foundlings in that crib by
this time. Two or three times a night the
door-bell rings, one of the two dozen sisters
slips down and a mother is allowed to enter
the vestihule. Often not o word is spoken.
The sister looks on while the mother
puts her little one in the basket. If
terly at parting with her care the sister some
times urges her to try once again to care for
it herself. When the asylum was first
opened young woman, who was wild with
grief, told sister that she could not go
home; even without the proof Of her shame
her parents had cast her off. The sister
invited her to stay and care for her own
child: That precedent has often been fol-
lowed since, and now there are always many
mothers learning laundry work, learning
sewing, cooking and whatever there is to do.
Of course they are often women who have
discarded virtue and it has been found that
the sisters can reclaim great many, send
ing them out to earn their living, proud of
the work they have been taught to perform.
The sisters say that it is surprising how
many of these immoral women have never
learned anything useful; when taught how
The good mother superior at Mount st.
Vincent founded this asylum in 1869, in
little dwelling, in the month of October. In
one month thirteen babes were left at the
door, and by Christmas the number had in
about 1000 on the lists of the asylum, 800 In
it and the rest kept out to nurse among
workingwomen at SO a month. At first it
seems like helping crime to keep basket
like this one at the asylum always ready for
mothers to go to when they wish to abandon
their offspring. But moments reflection
shows you that this is not so; that if a
mother is so constituted or so situated that
she can or must part with her baby, it is best
that the means be provided for her. There
are women whom nothing can force to this
dread alternative. They may be obliged to
have their little ones cared for in the day
babies establishments in the city, but when
work is done and home is to be sought the
loyal matron always takes her darling to her
breast. JULIAN RALPH.